I wrinkle my nose, frowning at him. “Okay, I’m good to go, no need for you to linger,” I say, but the words don’t hold the harshness I aim for.

  Walker doesn’t say anything.

  Needing to get away, I head for the mouth of the cave, feeling more settled the farther I get from the men.

  “Okay, princes…” the lowly spoken words make me stop, but I don’t turn around to look at the man. “I’m going to sleep now,” obviously, “just make sure to let me know if I talk in my sleep. I wouldn’t want everyone to know what I’m dreaming about.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Walker’s eyes on the back of my neck do nothing to loosen the tension in my body. I’ve been on edge ever since his parting shot after the shift change last night.

  Just make sure to let me know if I talk in my sleep. I wouldn’t want everyone to know what I’m dreaming about.

  Maybe he doesn’t know the exact specifics of my dream but from his smugness, I know that he knows enough.

  Did I mumble his name or Orrtyn’s?

  It's highly possible and it does nothing but make me feel unnerved, waiting for him to bring it up or say something about it. He finally has something firm to hold over my head and I have no doubt that he’s going to use it.

  I certainly would if the tables were reversed.

  Then again, the only person Walker seems to have any sexual feelings towards is Orrtyn.

  But that kiss.

  I wish the stupid fucking kiss never would have happened for so many fucking reasons. First off, it obviously opened the door to unwanted sexual feelings that’s affecting me even weeks later. Not to mention that I seem to be the only one who remembers it, though I should be happy about that.

  I don’t want Walker to bring it up after all. I’d probably stab his fucking eye out if he did.

  And yet it bothers me that he seems to be unaffected by it.

  Why did he kiss me if he’s only into men?

  Or is he?

  Fuck, it doesn’t matter and neither does the dumbass sex dream.

  I’m just a little frustrated and obviously that’s what the dream was about. My body was trying to find a way to release tension in some way and Brielyn had just brought my attention to Walker and Orrtyn’s less than innocent relations.

  Yep, that’s exactly what this is and nothing more.

  I’m not sure I manage to fully delude myself into the theory but I push all sexual thoughts to the back of my mind.

  I won’t be kissing any more royals or doing anything else other than plotting their god damn downfall.

  My fingers clench around the dagger in my hand and with a breath of air, I toss it across the room. I watch in satisfaction as it embeds itself into rock, sending small pieces crumbling. I imagine that the rock is Walker’s head and a smile curls the corner of my lips.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, watching Ru as she hurls a throwing star into the body of a soft, four foot teddy bear. I believe it belongs to one of her little sisters and I cringe, hoping they don’t notice that Mr. Teddy now has a whole in the middle of his forehead.

  Ru tilts her head, glancing at me briefly. The silver of her eyes have narrowed into thin, snake-like slits, the second hint that she’s pissed off. Scales dance along her brown skin, a mix of grey and black.

  Yeah, she’s definitely mad about something.

  “What are you doing?” I repeat as she tosses another throwing star at the bear. This one lands in its stomach. When a third star embeds itself into the bear, it goes tumbling off the stool that Ru had it propped onto.

  She lets out a grunt before moving across the room to gather her victim. “I’m imagining that this is my mother. It's how I let my frustration out when she pisses me off enough that I want to hurt her.”

  I refrain from cringing. “Can’t hit the real thing since she’d tear you to shreds, I guess,” I agree. Ru’s mother loves her, there’s not a doubt about it. But she wouldn’t be above putting her daughter down if she ever went against her. She’d make sure she’d be able to heal from whatever damage she inflicted, but it’d still be bad enough to not risk.

  Ru lets out a low laugh, but it lacks humor. She bends down, picking up the brown teddy. Stuffing falls out of the bear. A rip sounds through the room and I watch as Ru discards the now shredded teddy bear, tossing it to the side. White cotton flies through the air.

  I don’t ask what her mother has done this time. I’d bet my favorite dagger on the fact that Ru is being dramatic, but I’d never say it to her.

  “No, I’m not mad enough to actually hit her at this point,” Ru finally says. “So, the teddy will have to take her place.”

  “And does it help? Imagining that it’s her.”

  A smile turns up her lips and it looks oddly blood thirsty as her silver eyes brighten. “Absolutely.”

  At the time, I thought maybe my friend was crazy because taking out your anger on an innocent, inanimate teddy bear couldn’t actually help with anger. But as I look at my dagger and imagine it in Walker’s forehead, it brings me a sense of satisfaction.

  Which is quickly diminished the moment the man in question glides into view. He glances at the dagger before pulling it out of the wall with a frown. I watch as he studies it before the bastard sticks it in his boot.

  My mouth falls open slightly. “Did you just steal my fucking dagger?”

  “Shit.” I’m barely aware of the curse coming from Orrtyn.

  Walker’s emerald eyes turn in my direction and a snarl turns up the corner of his lips. “You tossed it away as if you didn’t care. If you don’t want the dagger then why let it go to waste.”

  He’s absolutely full of bullshit and we both know it as he folds his arms over his chest, preparing for an argument.

  And he’s sure fucking going to get one.

  I march over to him, stopping a foot away. I hold out a hand to him. “Give it back, you asshole.”

  “No.” His facial expression remains blank and he makes no move to give me my dagger.

  My eye twitches but when my gaze lands on something a couple of feet away, I relax some. Moving away from the man, I snatch up his bow and quiver. I slide the quiver along my shoulder and take the bow in my right hand.

  “Put it down,” Walker barks out.

  “No, you just left it lying around, so obviously you don’t want it anymore,” I taunt, using his own reasoning against him.

  “Come on, guys,” Orrtyn says, stepping beside us. He holds his hands out tentatively as if trying to tame wild animals. “You both are being irrational and acting like children. Walker give Gumpdrop the dagger, Gumdrop return the bow and quiver.”

  Neither of us move.

  “Is this some weird foreplay for you two?” Brielyn asks in amusement and I catch him moving in the corner of my eye.

  “I’m starting to think it is,” Orrtyn mutters.

  Walker narrows his eyes slightly before a cruel smile crosses his lips. “I don’t know, Princess, why don’t you tell them what you dreamt about last night?”

  Rage fills me and before I know what I’m doing, I’m pulling an arrow from the quiver and jabbing it in Walker’s direction. A hand wraps around my wrist a moment before the sharp edge of the arrow embeds itself into the man’s chest.

  I follow the hand back to Walker and when I look up, our eyes clash in a battle of wills.

  How could I ever have thoughts other than murder toward this man?

  If I don’t get away from him, I’m going to kill him, either by accident or one hundred percent on purpose. And then my plans will be ruined. All because of a lokanian who managed to end up in the good graces of royals.

  I grit my teeth and take a step away from the man before moving even further away. My feet start to carry me toward the mouth of the cave.

  “Where are you going?” Orrtyn shouts out behind me.

  “Give me my arrow and quiver back before I make you,” Walker says coolly.

  Bow and arrow has never been my choice of weapon, yet the speed at which I nock the arrow and let it loose as I turn shows a proficiency that surprises even me.

  Orrtyn pushes Walker out of the way of the incoming arrow even though the man was already on his way to ducking. They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. “There’s your fucking arrow,” I bark out before turning back around and walking away.

  “Where are you going?” Brielyn calls out after me.

  “To find a new shelter. Don’t follow me,” I tell him with as much hospitality as I can manage which isn’t much.

  I move quicker, deciding that I need to get away from the others for a little bit. I’m not used to having people around me all the time anyway and when they act like Walker, it’s best that I take a break. Can’t have my plans spoiled because I lost my temper.

  Plus, we need new shelter anyway so I might as well go looking now. It gives me two reasons to leave, not that I needed any to start with.

  I move quickly through the trees and they soon become thicker as they give way to the jungle like scenery. A sense of peace that I haven’t felt since I got to this forsaken island takes over. I start to let myself move freely, not following any path as I continue through the forest.

  I take a sharp left when the sound of a stream fills my ears. Walker’s bow is heavy in my hand and for a moment, I consider tossing it.

  Frowning down at the weapon, I take in the structure of it now that my mind isn’t clouded. I’ve seen the man use the bow more than once, even when we were back at the castle, and I’ve always found myself fascinated by it.

  Some girls like jewelry, but I like a good weapon.

  Gripping the metal, I bring it up as if I’m about to shoot it.

  Hmm, real firm.

  I can’t tell exactly what it’s made out of it, but it seems like it’s a high grade.

  Maybe I’ll keep it for myself.

  I’ll probably have to take Walker’s head off to keep it, but either way, I could never toss out such a nice instrument.

  A flash of a man going down with an arrow embedded into his thigh goes through my mind and with a grin, I pull an arrow from the quiver after doing a quick check of my surroundings.

  When I first saw Walker with the arrows, I knew they were sharp from the way they embedded into the stone wall followed by him shooting a man in the thigh. Looking at them close up now, I know that my assumption is right. The triangular head of the arrow is sleek and sharp. The weight of the arrow balanced perfectly.

  With a grin, I shove the arrow back into the quiver.

  I bet Walker’s losing his shit not knowing where his weapon is or what I’ll do with it. Let him sweat it out though. He certainly didn’t have a problem watching me sweat as he taunted me about my dreams.

  I continue forward, my eyes drawing to the sky briefly when a shadow falls over me. I pause when I see one of the monster birds in the sky, but it quickly passes over me.

  The trees start to thicken but they also start to appear dead as I move forward, the greenery gone. I glance forward, trying to see as far ahead as I can. The trees are too close together though, almost stacked upon one another and it makes me tense up.

  So many places to hide.

  I glance behind me, thinking of turning around again, but I must have only left the cave an hour ago.

  If we’re going to move shelters, it needs to be far from where we once were. If someone else has our current location, they’ll easily find us again at the new one if it's too close.

  With that in mind, I continue walking forward.

  The trees appear pale, almost an ash white. I stop, gently running my hand along the rough bark.

  What kind of tree is this?

  Frowning, I pull my hand away and glance at the white dust that now covers it.

  Fuck, you can’t just go around touching random things in a place you know nothing about. It could be poisonous.

  I expect my skin to start itching since my luck seems to be descending but after nothing happens, I decide the trees are harmless.

  The ground softens under my feet as I continue forward and I frown at that.

  A rustling is the only alert I have before I’m being knocked into from the side. The bow goes flying out of my hand. Expecting to find another guard attempting to claim the price on my head, I’m in shock when my gaze lands on an animal instead.

  It’s big, at least four feet tall, but ferocious with fangs that hang from its mouth. Its white fur is patchy and blotchy. Ravenous black eyes watch me before the animal lets out a loud whine and charges.

  I roll out of the way, drawing Gwev.

  I take a few steps back, making sure to get the animal fully in my view when I see its long tail whipping out. It charges forward and I decide that I’m at an advantage since the thing appears to be slow.

  But fuck was it heavy as a house when it rammed into me.

  I could shoot the fucking thing if it hadn’t had knocked the bow out of my hand. All my daggers I have on me are too small to actually do any damage to the thick animal and Walker has the one dagger that may have helped.

  Fuck.

  Movement appears out of my eye and another one of the creatures appears out of the corner of my eye. I glance to the side long enough to see two more of the fat animals, these even bigger than the first.

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  A caw rips through the air.

  Fuck, this would be an inconvenient time for one of those big ass birds to attack.

  This is what I expected from The Culling instead of paid royal guards, big, unfamiliar animals and unfamiliar sceneries. And yet I’m still not prepared.

  The queen may have wasted her money on sending the guards after me because I may be taken out by ugly creatures first.

  One of the animals charge and I jump out of the way, swiping at him with Gwev. When I glance at the animal, I realize that Gwev barely pierced through its skin, only a small red cut along its flesh.

  Shit.

  My eyes dart to the bow. I need to grab it and get high where I can pick the little things off one by one at a distance. I make a charge in the direction and just as I lock my hands around it, weight is thrown into me. I let go of the bow, grabbing an arrow instead.

  The animal comes at me, drool slipping from its mouth and I jab the arrow in its head. It reels back and since my grip is still on the arrow it yanks me forward.

  I let go but it's too late as pain rips through my arm.

  My eyes shoot to the animal as it falls to the ground, squirming. Blood drips from it. It's the least of my worries though as the other two creatures charge forward and another caw rips through the air.

  I’m reaching for the bow again when a flash of dark, quick movement captures my eyes. I turn my head as my fingers wrap around the bow and my body goes still in shock.

  A naked woman stands before me, her skin deathly pale. Long, curly black locks fall past her butt, a sharp contrast against the paleness of her skin. Her back is to me and if it weren’t for the length of her hair, I’d be looking at her stark naked ass. A sword hangs from her hand, covered in blood and it takes me a second to realize it’s Gwev in her hands.

  One of the animals lies next to the one I stabbed with an arrow, its head clean from its body. I watch as the woman decapitates the last animal in the blink of an eye.

  The woman turns and I quickly get to my feet, anticipating an attack. I nock an arrow into the bow and point it at the woman.

  When she’s turns I’m met with a face that looks familiar but I can’t quite figure out why. Her lips are blood red, the sculpt of her face, sharp yet feminine. She takes a step forward and my eyes move to Gwev.

  Is she about to kill me with my own sword?

  Yet as the woman moves closer, it's not exactly in a threatening way. Sure, her posture is stiff, her back ramrod straight but Gwev dangles from her fingers carelessly.

  I drag my eyes to hers and breath rushes past my lungs at the familiarity of them.

  No, it can’t be-

  “Ragna?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  "You're a terrible warrior." As soon as the words leave the woman's lips I know I'm right.

  This is Ragna.

  But how?

  My mouth parts slightly as I stare at the woman in front of me trying to figure out how in the hell it's possible.

  Everything about her screams woman even though I know her as a bird.

  I always knew those eyes were too human like, too intelligent, always watching me. Yet, I never would have predicted this.

  I stare in surprise as Ragna moves closer to me watching as she drops Gwev' to the ground. The sword lets out a small clatter as it hits the floor and Ragna turns her head slightly to glare down at my weapon as if it has possibly insulted her.

  "How?" The word leaves my lips softly, betraying my shock as I stare at the woman.

  She turns, her near black eyes watching me. In the depths of her pale skin, the eyes look even darker than they must be. Her black hair sways gently around her as she moves even closer to me. Irritation is written across her face which I can't help but to think I've seen before.

  "Why do you look so familiar?" I ask her, since she hasn't answered my first question yet and I have a feeling she isn't going to anytime soon.

  "What?" She wrinkles her nose as she stares down at me. Her pale skin is smooth and pristine. She doesn't seem to be the least bit affected by the fact that she's naked.

  "I've seen your face before," I tell her. It's more than just her eyes that are familiar. It's her whole face and I have the nagging feeling that I've seen her somewhere before.

  But where?

  Her blood red lips turn down slightly and her dark eyes watch me closely. "This isn't the first time I've saved your life," she informs me, keeping her words vague.

  I frown, trying to figure out what she could possibly be talking about. "Huh?" I question, squinting.

  This isn't the first time she's saved my life?

  It takes a moment but then I suddenly remember.

  "The obstacle," I say, my grip on the bow loosening in shock.

  She nods sharply but I already remember now that I'm thinking about it.

  It'd been during one of the obstacles. I'd made my way to a stream, tired and needing water. I'd been drawn to the stream and just as I'd been about to take a sip of the water I needed so badly, Walker's stupid ass bird started pestering me. I'd try to fight her off and get her to leave me alone so that I could find refreshment, but she continued.